Screen plate



Maz-cl3y 18, 1958 D. s. cusl SCREEN PLATE Filed Dec. 7, 1954 1NVENTOR DANTE S CUS En: r-

ATTORNEY .Zzllg Patented Mar. 18, 1958 free SCREEN PLATE Eantc S.. Casi, Mexico City, Mexico, assignor to International Filip Products, line., Washington, D. C., a corporation of Panama Application Decemlrer 7, 195i, Serial No. 473,67

2 Claims. (Cl. 269-397) rlhis invention relates to a novel screen plate. It relates in particular to a screen embodying a novel relationship between the contour of the plate and the perforations, such that it is capable of achieving novel and improved separations of particulate mixtures.

The invention has among its objects the provision of a screen plate of generally undulant detail contour, which contains perforations in specific positioned relationship to said contour so as to induce and exploit special dynamic effects upon particles suspended in a liquid medium, through which the screen plate moves.

Another object is to provide the above novel type creen plate as a machine or machine element capable of achieving mechanical separations of mixtures which heretofore have been virtually unscreenable, or screenable only with great difculty and cost.

Still another object is to provide the above screen plate in a variety of general contours adapted to function as a cylindrical screen, flat screen, curved screen, or other of the well known types of screen, and which, while moving through or relative to the liquid, may or may not also vibrate, rotate, oscillate or the like.

Gther objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art, from the following specification.

Reference is made tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Fig. l is -a perspective fragmentary View of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross section of the screen plate on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section like Fig. 2 but showing a modiiication;

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross section of a cylindrical screen, made in accordance with the Fig. l embodiment and shown in relation to a body of a liquid mixture being screened thereby;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary View of a portion of the novel screen plate of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 6 is a diagram.

Referring in greater detail to Fig. i, the screen 2 is undulant in detailed character, possessing alternating valleys #l and ridges 6 in spaced parallel relationship. Considering the arrow lil shown in Fig. l as denoting the direction of motion of the screen with respect to a surrounding liquid containing a mixture of particles suspended therein, the ordinate axis of the undulations is generally perpendicular to the direction of motion. This is a preferred detailed contour of the screen surface. `lslevertheless, as will be seen from the following discussion, the ordinate axis of the undulations may form an acute or obtuse angle with the direction of screen motion. The undulations may vary in vertical transverse section from the sinuous character shown in Figs. l and 2 and may take the angular form of Fig. 3 or some other form having rounded or angular contour.

One of the major features of the novel screen plate is the arrangement of the perforations 35. Referring again to Fig. l, it will be seen that they are spaced, generally in alignment, on the downhill or descending side of the undulations, as established by the screen direction. It could be said that they are on the lee side of the ridges.

The specific shape of the holes may vary considerably. That is, they may be round as shown, or they may be square, oval or the like, or slots might be provided as used in conventional pulp screens, to suit the requirements of the particular screening problem.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawing, the screen plate of the invention is shown as adapted to a cylindrical form installation 2i?. The cylindrical screen is rotated .about its own axis in the manner of conventional cylindrical screens. lt is shown submerged in a liquid suspension 22 containing ber material 24 admixed with globular material 26. The direction of rotation of the screen is denoted by the arrow 23.

A typical mixture of material which the screen plate of this invention is adapted to separate is the mixture of bagasse fibers and detached globules of bagasse pith produced by the various depithing methods that are applied to sugar cane bagasse.

The characteristic hydrodynamic features of the screen in such an operation may readily be understood by those skilled in the art, with additional reference to Fig. 5 showing an enlarged section of the screen Ztl of Fig. 4 and the simplified diagram of Fig. 6. Flow of the suspending iiuid is in the direction of the waved arrows Sil, liquid suspension being added to the zone outside the screen (zone 32, Fig. 5) and withdrawn from the zone within it (zone 34, Fig. 5) by suitable feed and discharge connections not shown in the drawings. In other words the waved arrows 3l) indicate generally the direction of the hydraulic pressure difference between zones 32 and 34 imposed by this feed and discharge.

This pressure difference and resultant flow, in combination with the rotation of the screen induces the two types of particles 22% and 26 to behave differentially when reaching the immediate region of the screen in zone 32. The rotation and construction of the screen plate is such that the perforations will always be on the downstream or lee side of the undulations. Thus the openings always face backwards with respect to the relative movement of the liquid. Under these conditions, no fibers 24 can pass through the perforations, because the undulations of the screen cause them to ride always on top of the ridges and never get into the valleys.

The paths of the round particles 26, however, will be completely different from those of the fibers. They will be conveyed, with the liquid itself through the perforations in the direction of waved arrows 30.

It will be readily understood that the construction and dimensions of the screen plate, the speed of movement of the screen relative to the liquid, andthe character and consistency of the suspension are all factors which affect the specific action of the screen in separating elements 24 from elements 26.

These factors may each vary over wide limits of operability within which satisfactory clean separation occurs. However, the following is presented for informative purposes, to aid in a better understanding of the possibilities of the screen in separating heretofore unscreenable mixtures or mixtures heretofore very dicult and costly to screen. f

Preferred features of the screen plate construction iuclude the angle ill formed between line 4l, representing the downstream face of the screen undulation, and the perpendicular to the line representing the direction of screen motion. rEhis angle is the complement of angle d6 formed between the trajectory of the suspension with respect to the screen and thedownstream face of the screen undulations.

Y .thegreater the speed .the `larger As previously pointed out, the general hydraulic pressure direction at the screen is shown by the waved a1'-V rows 30. The detailed pressure gradients in the Aimmediate region of the screenplate, however, are very Ycrom-V ,plexas to direction and magnitude.Y They are suchtlftatV they exert appreciable balanced and unbalanced morn-ents upon Ysuspended particles,fthe general direction of the unbalanced Ymori-rents being such as'to induce passage Y 4through Y the *,perforations.

Particles which are small` enoughrtoibe anected by a limited number of these cornplextpressuresat anyA one time, respond tol the moments,

and 'follow the .eddying Aflow of the iiquidthrough the Y, .l

perforations. Particles which possess a dimension iargey Y:encmghl so that the effects Softhe pressuresfcancelrout,

cannotrespond short of disintegration. As a result they, in ylargeV measure, kresist passage through the perforations `riding over the'tops or"V the undulations justY as if an infinitely ne screen were .placed there.

Y.Generally theY unique 'screening function of the screen plate of this invention is accomplished -byY maintaining angle 40 as anV acute angle Its actual valuewill'depend Y n greatly upon the relativejs'peed with which the screen -and liquid move with respect to each other. Generally,

course, the smallerV angle 46. Y

i The Veciency'of screening using the present novel .screen plate,qdepends somewhat uponthe consistency of will be angle 40 and, of Y ventionv is understood. Thus in addition to the relative' movement above described between the screen and theY medium to be screened, the screen may also be subjected to an independent vibratory motion.

which the screen is fixed in position moves in relation thereto. Y Y

I claim: 1 v

Lrt'l'he method of separating brous from glohularrprar-- ticles, and thelike, contained in a suspensionof such particles in a liquid, comprising'immersingV in the suspension a screen plate formed with alternate ridges and andV VtheV medium troughs," extending parallelwithleach other in arprerde-Y t Y termined direction, theridges merging with the troughsVY by short imperforate side walls'facing'qinone direction and the ridges merging with the troughs on their oppositeVV sides with perforate walls facing in a dilerent direction 'Vfroni'the imperforate walls, creating a pressuresdiierential in the liquidon opposite sides of theY plate to force liquid through the perforations,V and'simultaneously moving the screen and the liquid in a direction relative to ,n each otherV which is substantially Vnormal to thedirection of the ridges. and troughs which'forces the liquid andV solids to impinge against the imperforate side Vwalls s0 that the brous Vparticles bysuch impingementfare urged vto ow outwardly away'rfromrthe pertorations Vand theY ,globular particles are permitted torpass throughvtheper# the liquid suspension. rlhis is true of all types of screens Y VVas is well known. The .main effect ofV suspending materials in va'iluid Vmedium,'insofar as screening is` concerned, is to achieve separation `of one particle from anto'the'forces developed bythe screening'process.YY

l The novel screenplate may be adapted to other general Vcontours asheretofore mentioned. Furthermore therundulations yof the screen. plate may take other Yforms from other, and hencenord'to each an independent response 1 those shown in the drawings. f For examplerthey'may be Y replaced by individual prisms or pyramids, perforated on the Adownstreamtace, or fthe lipsof Ya flat screenY may. beV bentjraising the' upstream `lip and YVlowering the down-V streamlipY t YBy .virtue of its unique construction, the novel screen A Y' Vplate Vof this'invention does not require cleauing'riearly Y as' often as Ais the case 'with priori screens; The long t bersyorrslivers that ride overuthe'tops of 'the'undulations, ofcourse, willnot get'stuck endwise in the'perforaV tions` nor will `there beV a tendency forV the long bers or' slivers'rtojbridge across two adioining'holes. Y v

Y'The screen plate of this invention is particularly adapted jto screen such heretofore practically" unscreenable tures "as the pith and liber suspension obtained from sugar Y canejba'g'asse, or aV mixtureo dihered pulp[containingl Y largequantitiesor" nnpulped slivers obtained by thelrselec- Y tive pulping of agricultural .non-'woody materialsjor 'thef VCliferentiallpulping ofmixred Ywoods.v It is also particularly'adapted to 'the Vseparation of ray cells from ordi-V nary'tibers inwoodpulps. Similar applications for screen- .l

ing'a widey variety of mixtures of particulate solidswill Voccur. to'those skilled in the art. i

Y Y' 'The invention is subject to further modifications asl 'will he readily appreciated once Ythe principle o'my ing Y forations with the' suspending liquid. Y

' Y ,2. Apparatus for separating fibrous from *globular part- Y :icles Yand therlirke contained Vinra suspension of such particles in a liquid -comprising a tank Vtorjcontaining the suspension, a screen plate contained in the tank forsubmer'sion in the suspension and: formed withalternate sub. l

stantially equaland :opposite ridgesV and troughs Yextending parallel with each other in a predeterminedV direction, the

ridges merging with the troughs on oneside of' vthe ridges by, imperforate side walls facing in oneV predetermined direction and merging with thewtrourghs on the opposite sides of the ridges withfside walls facing in a differentVV direction and containing'perforations substantially mid-, V way betweenrthe'ridges and troughs, Ythe-screen plate bef ingro'therwisesubstantially imperforate, means forapply- Ving a liquid suspension of particles tothe screenjplatefk 1 with'arpressurre dilerential onopposite'lrsides ofthe plate l to cause ow of liquid through the perforations andjmean's Vfor relatively moving the screen ,plate 'and thejsuspent sion'in aV direction 'which is substantially normal tov the,

direction of' the ridges vand troughs to .cause a constant impingement of the suspension againsty the imperforateside walls of the screen to vdetlect the brous solids from t theY perforationsrv while permitting. the globular particles to pass through the Vperforation'srwith the liquid.

References yCited in Ythe Vtile ofthis patentu Y* i UNITED PATENTS Y TheY screen isY adapted as well Vfor centrifugal screening and the like inV 

